Apple Watch ECG app launches in Hong Kong and Europe

After its successful debut in the US this past September, the ECG app on the Apple Watch Series 4 arrived Thursday in Hong Kong and 19 European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. The new regions are part of the watch OS 5.2 update.

"We've seen the ECG app and irregular rhythm notifications on Apple Watch have meaningful impact on our customers across the United States," Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer, said in a release. "We are excited to bring these features to customers in Europe and Hong Kong, giving them access to empowering information about their heart health."

The ECG app was announced as part of the Watch Series 4 at an Apple Event last year. Apple says the app has the ability to take an electrocardiogram (which Apple abbreviates to ECG but US doctors usually call an EKG) in 30 seconds and detect warning signs like irregular heart rhythm or atrial fibrillation.

Stanford and Apple released the full results of their heart study on March 16. The data showed that, of the 400,000 participants, 2,000 received an irregular heart rhythm alert. Fifty-seven percent of participants who received an irregular pulse notification went to the doctor.